It's Always Calm Before The Storm
by Caskett4Life
Summary: This was written after 5x15, so spoilers up to this point and AU from there... My take on Castle meeting his father and how other characters will react to that - rated T for safety :) 3-chapter-fic, I'll post once a week, so read, review, follow & favourite! Now complete! XX
1. Chapter 1

**It's Always Calm Before The Storm **

She constantly checked her phone for any new messages. Then her twitter. Then her mail. Then again her messages. Nothing. No news.

He had said he'd tell her as soon as he and Alexis were in safety. But it had been hours since she last had talked to him.

And the worst part was that she couldn't do anything but to sit and wait. Because she was in New York and he was in Paris. And his daughter was still missing.

Martha offered her coffee every half an hour. Kate declined every time. Coffee would only make everything worse. She just wanted to sit there on his couch, her phone in her hand, waiting for him to call.

Gates had told her to go home at 3 PM when she had noticed that Kate was of no use for her in that stage. Did she know about them? To be honest, Kate didn't even care.

All she wanted was for his daughter to be okay so he could smile again. She had never seen him like this before. Broken. Like a fish out of water. Helpless. Desperate. Frightened. Unable to think clearly.

It was so stupid but that wasn't anything new for him. Why on earth would he jump on a plane in the middle of the night to go to Paris? Without saying goodbye - nor to her, nor to Martha?

Deep down, she knew. She just couldn't understand how he could switch from a 9-year-old on a sugar rush to a fully grown lioness protecting her cubs that fast. The thing he had done to Douglass Stevens? In that moment she had been sure she had been in the wrong movie.

But now, she could kind of understand what he was going through. She knew what it was like to worry about someone she loved, not knowing if he would ever be alright again, if he would ever come home.

Her mind produced worst case scenarios, him tortured, him held captive with a knife on his throat, him suffering, him dead. She couldn't stop those pictures from running through her head. That was why she couldn't move and why she didn't let go of her phone.

That was also why she couldn't believe it when it finally started to ring. Martha must have heard the sound because Kate could hear her running down the stairs and then she could see Martha standing next to her.

Kate could only stare at the phone – she didn't dare to answer it.

"Aren't you going to pick up?" Martha asked.

"I'm scared," Kate whispered. "What if it's bad news?"

The older woman gently took the still ringing phone out of her hand. Taking a deep breath she answered the phone, putting it on speaker.

"Hello?"

Relief lightened up Kate's face as she heard his familiar voice on the other side of the line:

"Mother? Why are you answering Kate's phone? Is she alright?"

That was so typical of him. Caring about her when all she wanted was some news about his situation.

"I'm fine, Castle", she said. "The phone is on speaker."

"Richard, where are you? Where is Alexis?"

Castle sighed.

"I'm at the airport. Alexis is sleeping next to me. Don't worry. I'm not letting her out of my sight again."

The last bit sounded more like a promise to himself than to the two women sitting in his apartment.

A stone as big as the Mount Everest was lifted of Kate's shoulders. Alexis was alright. Everything was going to be fine. She wouldn't have to bear a childless Castle, who would have probably never been happy again.

"Why didn't you call earlier?" she asked.

Castle, sitting in Paris, hesitated. He looked at the man next to him who was shaking his head. '_Wait_' is his silent answer.

"Look, Kate, I'll explain everything once I'm back in New York."

"We'll meet you at the airport", Martha offered. She, just like Kate, had understood that they weren't going get any answers now.

"Alright. But please, don't bring anyone else." he confirmed the offer.

Kate looked at Martha who answered for both of them: "Okay. It'll be just the two of us."

Castle gave them the details about his flight and then hung up – too soon for their taste.

Martha put the phone down and pulled Kate in one of her bone-crushing hugs.

"She is okay", she murmured over and over again. Kate, unable to do anything else, just hugged her back. They sat like that for what felt like an hour but only minutes had passed when Martha pulled back.

"I'm going to bed. Now that I know my Alexis is alright, all I want to do is sleep and forget about everything."

Kate nodded, got up and walked to the door. Martha looked puzzled.

"What are you doing, Kate?" Martha asked.

Kate pointed towards the closet. "I'm getting my coat. It's still pretty cold outside."

"Yes, I can see that. What I meant was, what do you _think_ you're doing? Leaving?"

Kate opened her mouth to say something but then hesitated. She really didn't want to leave but it would also feel wrong to use his bed without him being there. She had never done it and she also wasn't sure if he would want that. Martha guessed her thoughts, just like she had done so many times before.

"I'm sure he won't mind you sleeping in his bed. It's almost also yours, anyway. Now go and sleep. You need it."

Martha walked up the stairs and Kate went into his bedroom. She pulled out one of his old shirts, quickly changed and removed her make-up and then crawled under the blanket. The bed felt too big without him in it. But everything smelled like him and surrounded by his scent, she was finally able to sleep.

The next morning, she woke up to the smell of fresh coffee. Her first instinct was to stay in bed and wait for Castle to bring her a cup but then she remembered: he wasn't there. He was still on the plane.

She left the bedroom and joined Martha in the kitchen. They were both silent, still exhausted from the previous day. The night, too, to be fair. It wasn't until Kate put her empty coffee mug in the sink that Martha broke the silence.

"I asked for a taxi for 8.30, so you still have 20 minutes to get ready."

Kate nodded and returned to the bedroom. She put on her clothes from previous day and didn't care that they're wrinkled.

20 minutes later, she was sitting in a cab next to Martha on the way to the airport. Everything seemed like in a dream; she was standing with Martha in a crowd of people, waiting for Castle and Alexis to appear. A small part in her brain still didn't believe it was over.

It wasn't until she saw them behind the barrier that she smiled for the first time in days. And it wasn't until he hugged his mother that she sighed out of relief.  
She stood next to them, watching and waiting for them to finish and was a bit surprised when he came to her right after letting go of his daughter's hand which was now held by Martha. He didn't say anything, he just held her tight and all she could do was hug him back even tighter. She loved the hugs the Castle-family gave. They always had a meaning. This one said "Thank you for being here."

And when he let go of her, too soon to be honest, she could see in his eyes that something had changed in France. She couldn't really say what had changed but something was different. That had to be the thing he wanted to talk about.

She gave him a gentle kiss on his cheek and turned to Alexis, who had just let go of her grandmother and now met Kate's eyes. Kate smiled at her and again was surprised when Alexis almost threw herself into Kate's arms.

Oh the Castles. They had managed to invade Kate's life and, most importantly, her heart and there was nothing she could do about it. It seemed like she was stuck with them forever.

Suddenly, she noticed that it wasn't a bad thought at all. It was more like she was looking forward to that. Kate smiled. She would do anything to achieve that.

Then she handed Alexis back to her father and looked at their surroundings. Not that she was expecting the kidnappers to appear out of nowhere, but it was a cop-habit she couldn't pull it off. Almost no one was looking at them. They were just another family reuniting.

But one guy kept staring at them. He was standing a few feet away but couldn't stop looking at them. No, not them, she corrected herself. Castle.

Kate took a closer look. The guy looked strangely familiar. Not that she had ever seen him before. On the contrary, she was pretty sure she hadn't met him before. Still, there was something about his face, some similarities… It was when she looked into Castle's face that she made the connection.

No. That couldn't be.

It was impossible.

"Rick?" she asked quietly.

"Hm?" He looked up, still holding Alexis.

"Who…" She hesitated. What if she was wrong?

"Castle, who is the man over there?"

Castle knew who she was talking about and she could see that. He kept his eyes on the floor as he answered: "It's not the right time to talk about this."

Kate frowned. She suddenly had to think about what Meredith had said before she had left. Of course, she knew it had been just a joke but something about it was true. He didn't answer questions about the one thing.

"Castle, you don't get to do this", she said. "Not to me. I want to know who that man is."

"If you're asking like that you must already know, don't you, Kate?"

"It doesn't matter if I do. I want you to say it."

Castle sighed, then leaned closer to her ear so no one except her could hear it.

"That is CIA Agent Alexander Richards. That's all you need to know for now. I will tell you later. I promise."

Alexander Richards… Kate almost started to laugh. It couldn't be a coincidence. But then, she thought, Martha was so much better than that. Maybe she hadn't known his name and it had been intuition that made her name her son Richard Alexander. She decided to ask Martha about that one day.

Their ride back to the loft was quiet and only Kate noticed the cab following them. 'Later', she kept telling herself. She only hoped later was soon.

At the loft Martha immediately took Alexis upstairs and Castle activated the security system.

He obviously still suffered from the experience of the past few days because the only time she had seen him activate had been during the Nikki-Heat-case.

She pretended not to notice it and walked into his study, knowing that this was the place he would want to talk. And she was right. Five minutes later he walked into the room, two cups of coffee in his hands. She put the one he was offering her on his desk and looked at him, waiting for him to start talking.

He took his time with the coffee, which almost drove her crazy. But she had never seen him like this so she decided to wait.

Finally, he set his cup down and pointed at a chair. She sat down, watched him do the same and waited again. It felt like an eternity until he finally started talking, his voice surprisingly steady.

"I don't know if you can imagine how it is to meet someone you've dreamed about your entire life. It's so different from what one can imagine, I can assure you that. Every move, every look, every word is important in that moment. And there are a thousand questions in your head, none of them the right one for that very moment. The worst thing is when you don't have enough time. When you need to trust that person in order to save your daughter's life, no matter what."

Castle paused, probably remembering that moment.

Kate used the silence to push her chair closer to him, so close that she could take his hand to encourage him to keep talking. He squeezed her hand and even smiled a bit.

"I'm not sure if I even want to get to know him, if I can trust him when there's no immediate danger to someone I love."  
At that point, he looked her in the eyes to make her understand he was counting her to those people. She nodded, letting him know that she understood.

"And I guess that what I needed the most was time. Time to think about everything. To process what had happened because at that moment there was no going back. No pretending that he was a spy or an astronaut or a pirate."

Kate chuckled. A pirate. That sounded so like him.

But then, he took both her hands and she was even more silent then before.

"And please believe me when I say that I need you with me on this one. To spin theories with me and bring me back down to the ground if I go too far. To face this with me. To bring this to an end. I can only do it with you by my side. We can only do it together."

Kate didn't wait any longer to kiss him. She didn't care if he still had something left to say. She didn't really know what she wanted to say with this kiss. I love you? Thank you? I'm here? Always?

But that didn't matter because he kissed her back with the passion she knew too well and suddenly, she was sitting on his lap, his hands at her back. She didn't want it to stop.

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Kate pulled back from the kiss and looked at him. He nodded, answering her silent question and they both stood up.

"Should I wait in here?" Kate asked, fixing her top.

"No", he answered. "You're coming with me."

He took her hand and they made their way towards his door. Martha and Alexis hadn't heard the knock - the water was still running. Kate squeezed Castle's hand as he opened the door to a man with bright blue eyes.

"Kate, I would like to introduce you to CIA Agent Alexander Richards."

And even though there was still a lot to learn, there was a hint of pride in his voice as he added:

"He is my father."

A/N: Thank you for reading my very first Castle fanfic! I'd love to hear what you thought about it, so please review, favourite and follow!

Also - huge thank you to my more-than-awesome beta, alwaysx4! Without you, this story would be only half as good, everyone should have a beta like you!


	2. Chapter 2

**It's Always Calm Before The Storm - Chapter 2**

_Kate squeezed Castle's hand as he opened the door to a man with bright blue eyes._

"_Kate, I would like to introduce you to CIA Agent Alexander Richards."_

_And even though there was still a lot to learn, there was a hint of pride in his voice as he added:_

"_He is my father."_

„Hello. It's nice to meet you, Agent Richards. "

Kate held out her hand and smiled.

Agent Richards chuckled. "You were right Richard." He took Kate's hand. "For you it's Alexander, Kate. If you are okay with that, of course."

Kate shook his hand. "Thank you Alexander..." She dropped his hand and looked at Castle. "What exactly did you tell him?" She asked him.

Castle, who had been smiled proudly seconds before, suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Nothing!"

"Nothing? That doesn't sound like nothing to me!"

"Kate, it's nothing, really! Nothing important at least…"

"Castle!"

As he didn't answer, she turned towards him, ready to pinch his nose - or his ear, whatever she could reach first.

"I just told him what he could expect!" Castle said very quickly, trying to duck away from her hand. "About my mother, and, of course, I also told him about you! But there's nothing to worry about!"

Both of them had forgotten Alexander for a brief moment so they turned to him very surprised as he laughed.

"One thing he told me was that you do tease him a lot. He was right about that!"

Kate gave Castle a last glance and then stepped back.

"I'm sorry. You shouldn't be standing outside. Please, come in!", Kate said, finally realizing that he was still standing outside Castle's apartment.

Alexander stepped inside and Kate took his jacket. Castle guided him to the couch and made him sit down. Then he went over to Kate who had just put Alexander's jacket into the closet.

"Kate," he whispered "Could you go upstairs and make sure my mother doesn't come down? I want us to be able to talk to him without interruptions and I also don't want to surprise her."

Kate nodded. "Of course."

She kissed him on the cheek - she didn't want to do anything wrong in the presence of his father and she also wasn't sure what Alexander considered appropriate so she settled with a gentle kiss. Hopefully, they would be able to get to know him better so she wouldn't have to feel as insecure as she did now.

As Castle went to sit with his father, she went upstairs. She was very curious about what Castle had told his father about her but she would get her chance to ask him later. For now, it was enough.

She reached the bathroom and gingerly knocked.

"Who is it?" Martha asked from inside. "If this is you, Richard, then I need to remind you that most women don't want to be disturbed by a man when they're in the bathroom! Well," she added, "it's different with Kate but that is certainly not my business. Right now, I'm speaking about the two women in this room!"

Kate gasped. How did Martha know that she liked Castle in the bathroom with her? Did she listen?! She really hoped it was only assumed and not based on actual knowledge… But she quickly pushed that thought aside; she needed to focus on more important things right now.

"Um, it's Kate, actually!"

Alexis chuckled inside and Martha made a quietly "Oh!" before she answered.

"Right. I'm sorry, Kate!"

Seconds later, the door was opened, revealing a slightly blushing Martha.

Kate entered. Alexis was sitting in the bathtub with more bubbles than the tub could handle. The floor around her was wet from the bubbles that got out every time she moved. Classic music was playing, Dvorak, if Kate was not mistaken. The window was shut and several candles made the room smell like roses.

Martha went to the toilet and sat down, her eyes still focused on Alexis.

"Sit down anywhere you like, Kate!"

Kate shook her head. "It won't take long, I just need a small favor."

Both Martha and Alexis looked at her. "Is everything alright?" Martha asked.

"Well, I kind of need you to stay upstairs for a while."

Martha gave her a confused look but didn't say anything. Alexis, however, seemed scared.

"Is everything okay? Is it something with Dad? Please tell me he's alright!" She started to get ready to climb out of the bathtub but Kate motioned her to stay.

"No, Alexis, your father is fine. Really. It's just…" She looked down. "I know it sounds selfish, but I want to talk to him. I need to talk to him. I just have to make sure he won't do anything like that again, at least not without me."

Alexis relaxed. "Good. For a moment I thought something had happened."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know how to say it and if you say it's not okay with you, I can totally understand that and…"

"Kate, no. It's definitely okay with me." Martha took her hand. "I know you need that time alone together."

Kate smiled and looked at Alexis. The girl nodded.

"Yeah. Go. I had him for the whole flight already and it'll be good to get away from his over-protectiveness for a while. I'm surprised he is not checking every five minutes, if I'm still in here!"

Kate stood up. "I'll come to tell you when we're done. I promise."

"I think we'll hear when you're done…" Martha started, but thankfully, Alexis stopped her from going further.  
"Gram! That's gross, stop it!"

Kate blushed.

"We really just need to talk. Talk. Not…" She stopped there and quickly left the bathroom before it could get more embarrassing. Outside, she shut the door and made her way back downstairs to Castle and his father.

She tried to be quiet so she wouldn't disturb them but when she came into the living room, Alexander was sitting on the couch alone. He turned to Kate when he heard her coming and smiled.

"Where's Castle?" She asked him.

Alexander pointed towards the kitchen "He's making coffee. I told him there was no need to do it but he insisted."

"Yeah. Coffee has an important meaning for him."

Alexander opened his mouth to say something, probably to ask her why coffee was so important, when Castle appeared - carrying three mugs with coffee. Alexander said nothing and Kate was relieved. Coffee was a private matter between her and Castle and she didn't want to share it with his father - not yet at least.

Castle placed the mugs on the small table next to the couch. Alexander reached for the one closest to him which made Castle yell "Stop!" Both Kate and Alexander looked at him confused and Kate silently wished Martha and Alexis hadn't heard that.

"Sorry, err… Alexander, but that one is special and for Kate."

Kate didn't miss the hesitation before saying his father's name but decided not to comment on that. Instead, she took the coffee from Alexander and asked "Why is this one for me? Is there something special in it?"

Castle grinned. "You're the detective. That's up to you to find out."

She eyed him suspiciously and didn't drink. After the experience with the s'morelette, she didn't want to take any risks.

"It's not like my s'morelette, I promise", Castle said.

"How did you…"

"You always look at me this way when I give you something unknown to eat or drink, ever since I made you my famous s'morelette. I still can't believe you didn't like it!"

"Castle, it was an omelet with chocolate!"

"So?"

"And marshmallows! AND crackers!"

"All good things to eat!"

"Not if you mix them together! So I won't apologize for being suspicious about your cooking abilities from now on!"

Alexander sat on the couch, not daring to laugh. It seemed like his son had inherited his weird taste. That s'morelette certainly sounded interesting and he would love to try it - if his son would let him, of course… But he didn't want to interrupt Richard and Kate now, they were far too interesting to watch. He wondered what they were like at work, where no one officially knew they were dating! He pitied their co-workers…

"Alright!" said Castle now. "I will never serve you one of my experiments again, unless you want me to!"

"Promise?"

"I promise, Kate. Now drink your coffee. There's nothing to be afraid of."

Kate slowly took the mug to her lips and took a sip. Her eyes widened in surprise and she quickly tasted again.

"Castle… is that… is that vanilla in there? In your homemade coffee?" She smiled as if she actually couldn't believe.

Castle nodded. "Best French vanilla. I bought it in a small shop when I took Alexis shopping." And after a second, he added "And it's sugar-free."

The smile Kate gave him lit up her entire face. "Thank you", she whispered.

Alexander almost felt like was intruding their world but they didn't have all day and there were a lot of things to talk about so he cleared his throat.

Richard and Kate looked up. "I'm sorry to interrupt", Alexander said, "but I really don't want to waste too much time."

They both nodded and sat down next to him.

Kate wrapped her hand around Castle's, ready to listen.

"I will have to ask you both not to interrupt me", Alexander started. "Some things may be shocking but please let me finish the story before you ask your questions."

He focused on Castle and Kate whispered irritated "you haven't heard the story yet?" Castle shook his head. "I didn't want Alexis to hear it and I didn't want to do this without you by my side."

Kate lightly kissed his cheek and nuzzled into his side. Alexander went on.

"I will skip the first part because you already know that. The girls were at the farmhouse where the kidnappers killed Roger Hanson, drugged the girls and drove away in a stolen ambulance. They drove to the airport and, according to a guard, pretended to be from a medical health care center in France and that they were taking Alexis and Sara back there. Unfortunately, the search for them only started after a shift change, so no one who had seen them was there when we showed them their pictures. In Paris, the kidnappers had connections to a group of specialists who had everything prepared. They helped them, for example with the ransom call.

Alexis and Sara were held in a secluded room with a single door and a small bathroom with no way to escape."

"Then how did…" Castle started, but Kate put a finger on his lips and simply said "Shh! Wait!"

Alexander nodded and continued.  
"One of the girls must have had training in picking locks with bobby pins that's how they managed to escape. Unfortunately, they didn't get far. Sara ran straight into one of their kidnappers and Alexis got to the rooftop after skyping with you where they found her.

They probably figured we wouldn't be able to trace the call to their exact position that's why they didn't move and made the call to El-Masri from there.

I was already in Paris at the time so they put me in charge of organizing the exchange. Everything went well and then, Richard showed up."

Kate chuckled and this time it was Castle who shut her up with his finger.

"He… well, he tried to help and followed the guy making the exchange. He almost blew our cover when he almost stumbled into our hiding place but luckily he is not that dumb and played along. It was him who found the girls, handcuffed and ready to be pushed into the Seine should we had tried to fool them. He also managed to trick the guy watching them to follow him so we were able to free Sara and Alexis. I'm still not sure how he managed that."

Alexander paused and looked at Castle.

Castle shrugged. "To be honest, I don't really remember what I said. Something about Gerard Depardieu giving away wine for free? I don't know, all I know is that it was really silly and it still worked."

Kate rolled her eyes. Gerard Depardieu giving wine away? Only a writer could come up with something that stupid and make it sound convincing.

"Anyway, Richard led the man straight to us," Alexander went on. "The exchange-guy managed to make the kidnappers show him the girls and when they arrived there, we were already expecting them. Apparently, they're not that smart without their specialists…

So then, we had the guys on their way to prison, both Alexis and Sara were safe and I finally had time to talk to Richard. We had to wait at the airport for the next flight to New York but unfortunately, it was only like an hour. I just told him the most important things, things he had to know and before we went to board the plane he invited me here to talk some more."

It was clear to Kate that Alexander secretly hoped he could come more often, hoped to become a part of his son's life. But that was not something she could decide.

"Do you have any questions?" Alexander asked them.

Castle thought for a moment then asked "Why did they kidnap the girls in the first place?"

Kate wondered why he didn't know that already. It would have been the first thing she had asked Alexander in Paris.

"Well, Sara's father is a businessman, as you know, and sometimes you have to make difficult decisions. Two years ago, he took over a company in Arabia and fired most of the Arabic workers. For him, that was a smart move, the company paid itself off but the Arabic workers weren't so lucky. As far as I know many are still unemployed and of course, they blame El-Masri for that.  
A group of them wanted to teach him a lesson so they kidnapped Sara. They had been watching her and that's how they found Alexis' video blog and, unfortunately, Alexis was with Sara when they pulled her into the van. She had seen too much and it would have been too much of a risk to let her go.

I already spoke with Mr. El-Masri about this. He said he hadn't known so many people had lost their jobs there and he is going to try and make up for the damage he did there."

There was a pause before Alexander added "I know I can't make up for the things I did, for the years I've missed, but if you will let me, Richard, I would like to try."

Silence fell over the room and Kate was starting to worry about Castle, when he finally spoke.

"Why don't you come over to dinner on Friday? Then we can talk with the whole family about this. I'm not making this decision without them."  
Alexander nodded. This was clearly more than he had hoped for.

"I wouldn't want you to. I really hope you all will give me this chance."

He stood up. "Thank you both for listening. I will see you on Friday. If anything happens, don't hesitate to call me."

Neither Kate nor Castle stood up. They just watched Alexander walk to the door.

Kate managed to say "Goodbye", when he took his coat and left. Castle was still silent.

As soon as he was gone, Castle closed his eyes and pulled Kate closer to him.

"I can't imagine what it was like for Alexis", he uttered. "But every time I close my eyes, I see her face, calling me from Paris. She was so scared and for the first time in my life there was nothing I could do about it."

Kate didn't know how to react to this so she did the first thing that came into her mind: She kissed him. It was a long, slow kiss - more comforting than passionate and when he softly pulled back, she knew she had done the right thing.

"You know what? That actually helped a bit." He smiled and Kate pressed a kiss at his hand. Then she stood up.

"What? No making out on the couch?" Castle asked.

Kate laughed; glad the old Castle was back, at least partly. "Not now. Later." She pointed to the stairs.

"I think you should talk to your mother."

**A/N: Well, here it goes - my second chapter! Huge thanks again to my awesome beta, alwaysx4 and also thanks for following, favouriting and reviewing - keep doing it!  
XX**


	3. Chapter 3

**It's Always Calm Before The Storm - Chapter 3**

"_What? No making out on the couch?" Castle asked._

_Kate laughed; glad the old Castle was back, at least partly. "Not now. Later." She pointed to the stairs._

"_I think you should talk to your mother."_

Kate left Castle on the couch and went back upstairs. She didn't hear any sound coming from the bathroom and found no one inside when she opened the door. Next, she went to Alexis' room and of course, that's where they were. She knocked and Martha called "Come in, Kate!"

Kate opened the door and stepped inside. She hadn't been in Alexis' room very often when Alexis had been sick, and she still felt a little bit out of place there. Alexis was sitting on a chair, facing the window and Martha was busy braiding her hair.

"Sorry for not opening the door," Martha said. "I'm still occupied!"

"She insisted on braiding my hair before I go to sleep," Alexis added and turned around to smile at Kate. Martha almost let go of the braid and looked angrily at Alexis.

"No hasty movements, you might ruin it!"

Alexis laughed and Kate noticed how good it felt to hear Alexis laugh again.

"Sit down, Kate!" Alexis pointed at her bed but Kate didn't move.

"Thank you, Alexis. But if you're okay with it, I'd like to take over the braiding." When Martha turned around, confused, Kate added "Rick wants to talk to you."  
She didn't have to say anything else. Martha just handed her the half-finished braid and went out without saying another word. Kate could hear her walking down the stairs; then everything was silent. She finished Alexis' hair and fastened it with a hair tie.

"All done!" She told Alexis. Alexis touched her braid.

"Thank you."

Kate smiled. "So, is there anything you want to do now? We can't go downstairs, though it's something they have to discuss alone, but…"  
"It's about my grandfather, isn't it?" Alexis interrupted. Kate could only stare at the girl.

"How did you…"  
"Dad still hasn't learned that I have a light sleep." Alexis said. "I heard them talking at the airport but I didn't want to disturb them so I kept quiet. I heard everything, though. I had hoped Dad would tell me on the plane but he didn't. I guess he'll tell me when the timing's right."

Kate sat down on Alexis' bed.

"I'm sorry. We didn't mean to hide it from you but Castle wanted to talk to Martha first and…"  
"There's nothing to be sorry for, Kate," Alexis said and sat down next to her. "I get it! I agree with dad, Grams should know it first. He…" She hesitated. "He isn't still here, is he?"

Kate shook her head. "No. He left shortly before I came up here."

"Good. I think it's better for Grams, this way she has time to think about it."  
"If she even wants to think about it…" Kate buried her head in her hands. "What if we did the wrong thing? She didn't hear anything about him for over 40 years and now we're forcing her. We even invited him for dinner on Friday without asking her!"  
"I think it'll be good. For her. And for dad, too. Not knowing is never really good. It's easier but not satisfying. It was the same with your mom, right?"

Kate looked up, surprised. She hadn't thought of it like that.

"You're very smart, you know that?"

Alexis chuckled and hugged her. Kate returned the hug and they both sat there in silence until they heard someone slam the front door. Alexis jumped up.

"That's definitely not good," she said.

She and Kate almost ran downstairs. They found Castle in the living room, looking devastated. Alexis sat down on his left side and Kate took his right.

"What happened?" Kate asked softly.

Castle sighed. "She didn't take it well."

Kate and Alexis exchanged glances.

"Dad, tell us. What happened?"

Castle didn't even seem to realize that Alexis knew what was going on. "Well, I tried to start light. I told her that I met someone in Paris and that he was important for saving Alexis. Then, I said that he was special and that I got the chance to talk to him and that I found out who he really was."  
Castle stopped. After a couple moments of silence Alexis asked "So did you tell her or did you just stay silent like now and let her figure it out herself?"  
"No, I told her. I told her I had met my father and that we talked and…"  
"And then she stormed out." Kate concluded.

"Not exactly. You know my mother! She has to have her huge exit and dramatic monologues. She told me I wouldn't understand what it felt like and how I could even think about talking to him. She also said that if he ever came to visit, she would never set a foot in here again."  
Alexis immediately pulled her father in a hug. "We will work it out, dad. I'll talk to her! There is no way you'll have to decide between them!"

"She's right, Castle. We're both here and we will help you!" Kate added and took Castle's hand.

Castle smiled. "I don't know what I'd do without you." He first kissed Alexis' head and then Kate's hand.

"Oh, that's easy." Alexis sat back. "You'd play laser-tag on your own; you'd have no one to make you pancakes…" She grinned and Kate chimed in

"You'd have accidents all the time because you'd have to drive through New York on your own…"  
"You wouldn't get a chance to scare my boyfriends…"  
"You'd have more free time because you wouldn't have to search for creepy dolls to make up with Captain Gates…"  
"You'd be fat because you'd eat all the ice cream alone…"  
"You'd drink your coffee alone…"  
"You wouldn't have had the broken leg you got when we went ice-skating…"  
"You'd…"  
Kate didn't get to finish the sentence because Castle suddenly started tickling them

"And you wouldn't get to do this!" Kate finished when he finally let go, still laughing.

"Okay, I get it. I'd be lost without either of you." He quickly kissed Kate.

"Dad!" Alexis pinched him in his arm. "Daughter in the room! We had an agreement!"  
"Sorry, pumpkin." Castle said.

"It's okay, dad." Alexis stood up and yawned. "I think I'll go to bed anyway."  
Castle glanced at his watch. "You're right, you should! You've been up for almost 30 hours! And I'm not sure if you got much sleep before that!"

He stood up and went to the staircase.

"What are you doing now?" Alexis asked.

"I'm bringing you to bed," Castle answered as if it was perfectly normal to bring your 18-year-old daughter to bed.

Alexis opened her mouth to say something but realized he just needed to make sure she was okay so she nodded.

"Okay, dad. Let's go."  
They both left and Kate looked around the room. She needed to do something to distract Castle, to make him forget all the drama. Maybe a movie? Kate walked over to the ridiculously huge DVD-collection. She first thought of Star Wars - and then remembered Luke and Vader. Not exactly a good idea right now. Harry Potter? No, the issue about lost parents wasn't right either. She also ruled out all the superhero movies - most of the heroes were fatherless. What should she do?

Finally, her gaze fell upon another box. The Lord of the Rings. Perfect! There were no lost - or reappearing fathers and a lot of fighting.

She put the first movie in the DVD-player and went to the kitchen to get snacks. One thing she still couldn't understand was why Castle always needed snacks when watching a movie. Kate normally preferred to focus on the movie - and maybe the person next to her - but the last time they went to the cinema she had taken some of Castle's popcorn without even noticing it.

She filled Nachos and Chips in bowls and then made some coffee. Castle looked like he could need the caffeine.

When she returned to the living room, carrying two mugs, Castle was just picking up the DVD.

"Lord of the Rings?" He asked and turned around

"I figured you'd need the distraction." Kate handed him his coffee and fetched the snacks. Castle's eyes lit up.

"You always think of everything."  
"It's not like there's much to think of!" Kate smiled and they sat down.

"You're right," Castle agreed. "A good movie, coffee and snacks is all I need." He put his arm around her and pulled her closer. "But I have to say, a beautiful woman by my side is never wrong either!"

"Do you want to watch the movie or not?" Kate asked, the remote already in her hand.

"Actually…" he started but Kate's elbow in his ribs stopped him. "Movie's fine."  
Kate started the movie and got lost in the fantastic world of Tolkien.

When they came to the council of Elrond, Castle suddenly pressed pause.

"Castle, what's wrong?" Kate looked up. He never paused a movie, not even to go to the toilet!

He took one of her hands in his. "Move in."

Kate froze. She didn't know what she had expected but certainly not this. "What?"  
She almost pulled her hand away but then she saw the sincerity in Castle's eyes. He truly meant it.

"I know this is out of the blue but, Kate, will you move in with me?" He asked again.

"Castle …" She started but he cut her off.

"I know. It's too soon. But listen, I'm not asking you to move in tomorrow! I'd just like you to think about it. Some day. These past days showed me that I really want you around more often."  
"Castle…"  
"Let me finish! I want you to come here every day after work. I want to know that here's where I'll find you when I come home from another book tour.I don't really care when but I definitely want this. Will you please consider it before you say no?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "Why do you always talk so much? You'll never get an answer if you don't let me speak!"

Castle was about to say something back but Kate was quicker and put a finger on his lips.

"No! Now, it's your turn to listen!"  
He nodded and Kate took her finger away.

"Good." She took a deep breath. "You're not the only one living here. This is also Martha's and Alexis' home, even though Alexis is not here that often anymore. But still, they both should have the right to say no."  
"Why would they…" Castle started but stopped talking when he caught Kate's glare. "Sorry!" he mouthed.

"Living here would mean we'd be like a family. Not officially but I've never lived with someone else than my family before and I don't want to change that. I'd like Martha an Alexis to get used to this idea first, us being a family, give them time and then, if no one says anything against your idea."  
"Is that a yes?" Castle asked. He knew it was, but he needed to hear it.

Kate pecked him on the lips. "It's a yes to some day."

He immediately got a huge smile on his face and Kate was pretty certain her expression matched his. How did he do that? No one before him had managed to make her promise something for the future. Will had asked her if she would wait for him, if she would still be there when he came back from Boston. She had told him she couldn't promise something like that. And now she had agreed to move in with Castle, just like that! And knowing him he probablywould try to get to "some day" as fast as possible.

They were lost in each other's eyes and didn't even notice that Martha had returned until she spoke.

"I hope I'm not interrupting…"  
Kate and Castle looked up, both surprised to see her.

"Mother!" Castle said. "No of course not, come!"

Martha silently walked over to the sofa and sat down next to her son.

"Mother?" Castle asked and she shook her head.

"Wha…", he started but Kate cut him off. She had understood that Martha didn't want to talk right now.

"It's alright, Martha. We'll just continue the movie."  
She pressed play and Martha smiled thankfully at her.

They watched the movie in silence ann when the credits started Martha turned the TV off.

"I'm sorry," she said, looking at Castle. "I overreacted. It's just that this was very unexpected and I needed some space to clear my mind."  
"I get it, Mother. I probably would have done the same thing. It's alright." Castle took his Mother's hand.

"All this time, nothing. No phone call, no letter, nothing. And then he's suddenly there, out of the blue."  
"I know. It's pretty weird for me, too." Castle looked down and took a deep breath. "You stormed out before I got the chance to tell you one last thing."  
Martha looked up.

"I invited him over to dinner on Friday. We still can tell him not to come but I'd really like to talk to him again. With all of you."  
Martha seemed to be considering it for a second and then nodded. "I think that's a good idea. We'll have him over for dinner. Just tell me when you think I'm overreacting again."

She turned to Kate.

"Thank you for being there for him."

At this moment, they were interrupted again. Alexis came downstairs, rubbing her eyes.

"Can I sit with you for a second? I can't really sleep…"

Three heads turned.

"Sure." Kate spoke first and got even closer to Castle so Alexis could sit next to her.

"What were you just talking about? You all look so serious," Alexis asked.

Castle and Martha exchanged a look.

"Well… that's difficult to explain." Castle said. "We're going to have company for dinner on Friday. I hope you're okay with that."  
"Yeah, I know."  
Kate chuckled while Martha and Castle looked gobsmacked.

"What?"  
Alexis smiled. "You were so deep in your thoughts earlier that you didn't even notice I was there, too. And Kate told me about the plans for dinner when you and Grams were talking."

Kate nodded. "I don't think one could hide anything from her for long."  
"So what do you say?" Castle asked, although he probably already knew it.

"I'd love to meet him." Alexis took Castle's hand before she added "For real, I mean. It doesn't count when everyone thinks you're sleeping at the airport, does it?"

"I still can't believe how amazing you are," Castle said.

Alexis smiled and picked up "The Two Towers" from the box on the table.

"Anyone in for part two?"

When Kate woke up she felt good. Safe. Warm. She opened her eyes and saw it was already getting dark outside. They must have fallen asleep during "The Return of the King". Kate smiled at the memory. It had felt so right, sitting here with them like… like a family. Then, she felt something move next to her and looked down. Alexis was sleeping, her head on Kate's lap. She was holding Kate's hand in hers. Kate's other hand was tangled with Castle's who was snoring on her left. Yes. This definitely felt right.

Kate suddenly realized she didn't actually need more time. She didn't want some day. She wanted tomorrow.

She took a deep breath and squeezed Castle's hand. He immediately opened his eyes, alarmed. When he saw it was Kate who had woken him, he smiled.

"Is next weekend okay?" She asked him as he leaned over to kiss her. He stopped.

"For what?"  
"For me moving in."

**A/N: Well, this is it! This is my final chapter! I want to thank everyone who read, favourited, followed and reviewed, it really made my day every time I got alerts for "new follower" and so on! So thank you - and Happy Easter to you all!  
**

**Also, alwaysx4, you're the best, most awesome and most extraordinary beta! Thank you so much for correcting all my mistakes!**

**xx **


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